Celibidache: Bruckner – Symphonies 3-5, 7-9 (8 CD box set, APE)

Orchestra: SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache
Composer: Anton Bruckner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert
Audio CD
SPARS Code: ADD
Number of Discs: 8 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.88 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc 1
1. Symphony No.3 in D minor – Edition Leopold Nowak – 1. Gemäßigt, mehr bewegt, misterioso
2. Symphony No.3 in D minor – Edition Leopold Nowak – 2. Andante: Bewegt, feierlich, quasi Adagio
3. Symphony No.3 in D minor – Edition Leopold Nowak – 3. Scherzo: Ziemlich schnell
4. Symphony No.3 in D minor – Edition Leopold Nowak – 4. Finale: Allegro

Disc 2
1. Symphony No.4 in E flat major – “Romantic” – Version 1878/1880 – 1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
2. Symphony No.4 in E flat major – “Romantic” – Version 1878/1880 – 2. Andante quasi allegretto
3. Symphony No.4 in E flat major – “Romantic” – Version 1878/1880 – 3. Scherzo (Bewegt) – Trio (Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend)
4. Symphony No.4 in E flat major – “Romantic” – Version 1878/1880 – 4. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell)

Disc 3
1. Symphony No.5 in B flat major – 1. Introduction. Adagio – Allegro
2. Symphony No.5 in B flat major – 2. Adagio. Sehr langsam
3. Symphony No.5 in B flat major – 3. Scherzo. Molto vivace (Schnell) – Trio im gleichen Tempo

Disc 4
1. Symphony No.5 in B flat major – 4. Finale. Adagio – Allegro moderato
2. Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 “Haffner” – 1. Allegro con spirito
3. Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 “Haffner” – 2. Andante
4. Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 “Haffner” – 3. Menuetto
5. Symphony No.35 in D, K.385 “Haffner” – 4. Finale (Presto)

Disc 5
1. Symphony No.7 in E major – Ed. Haas – 1. Allegro moderato
2. Symphony No.7 in E major – Ed. Haas – 2. Adagio. Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
3. Symphony No.7 in E major – Ed. Haas – 3. Scherzo. Sehr schnell – Trio. Etwas langsamer
4. Symphony No.7 in E major – Ed. Haas – 4. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht schnell

Disc 6
1. Symphony No.8 in C minor – 1. Allegro moderato
2. Symphony No.8 in C minor – 2. Scherzo: Allegro moderato – Trio: Langsam
3. Symphony No.8 in C minor – 3. Adagio: Feierlich langsam

Disc 7
1. Symphony No.8 in C minor – 4. Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell
2. Symphony No.5 in B flat, D.485 – 1. Allegro
3. Symphony No.5 in B flat, D.485 – 2. Andante con moto
4. Symphony No.5 in B flat, D.485 – 3. Menuetto (Allegro molto)
5. Symphony No.5 in B flat, D.485 – 4. Allegro vivace

Disc 8
1. Symphony No.9 in D minor – Edition: Leopold Nowak – 1. Feierlich, Misterioso
2. Symphony No.9 in D minor – Edition: Leopold Nowak – 2. Scherzo. Bewegt, lebhaft – Trio. Schnell
3. Symphony No.9 in D minor – Edition: Leopold Nowak – 3. Adagio. Langsam, feierlich

# Symphony No. 3 in D minor (“Wagner”), WAB 103 (various versions)
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 4 in E flat (“Romantic”), WAB 104 (various versions)
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 5 in B flat (“Tragic”; “Church of Faith”; “Pizzicato”), WAB 105 (various versions)
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 35 in D major (“Haffner”), K. 385
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 7 in E major (“Lyric”), WAB 107
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 8 in C minor (“Apocalyptic”; “The German Michel”), WAB 108 (various versions)
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

# Symphony No. 9 in D minor (“Unfinished”), WAB 109 (various versions)
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by Stuttgart SWR Radio-Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache

Celibidache’s most ‘normal’ Bruckner is full of inspiration

If you are used to thinking of Celibidache as an enigmatic, glacially slow conductor, this box of Bruckner performances from DG will be an eye-opener. It dates from the Seventies, before the maestro’s more eccentric inclinations set in completely–his tempos are anywhere from 2 to almost 10 min. faster in various movements. (In some places, such as the finael of Sym. #7, the tempo may actually be faster than the norm.) Here are a few comparisons with the Bruckner box set released by EMI, all with the Munich Phil. — No 7 – Stuttgart 67′, Munich 79′; No 8 – Stuttgart 84′, Munich 102′; No 9 – Stuttgart 59′, Munich 77′. The Stockholm and Stuttgart orchestras aren’t as proficient as his own Munich ensemble, but they sound fine, as does DG’s good FM radio sound, despite the fact that overall textures can be a bit thin and the treble a bit harsh.

The Gramophone reviewer speculates that Celibidache adopted such uncharacteristically fast tempos in Stuttgart because the orchestra had learned Bruckner under their previous conductor, Hans Rosbaud, a dedicated modernist whose style was swift, lean, and unsentimental. Be that as it may, measuring Celi by the metronome isn’t fair. The real question is what he offers musically, and there’s no doubt that he is closely attuned to Bruckner. Long passages are carved like marble; the atomosphere is often full of mystery and poetry; sonorities are built on a massive scale and then give way to intervals of lovely serenity. This is music made alive on the page. Compared to Karajan, another great Brucknerian, Celibidache is more organic and relaxed. One can quibble with things here and there, but then an entire stretch of music, such as the opening of Sym. #3, will emerge as a magnificent whole.

The only listeners who might be displeased are those who have bought into the Celi mystique during his later years; for them, if the pace isn’t agonizingly slow, the true magic isn’t happening. I’m not sure I can erect an altar to Celibidache’s entire career, but these Bruckner recordings seem great to me, even if they are shockingly normal.

P.S. – I have a twinge of guilt that I may have oversold the virtues of “normal.” Every interested listener should hear Celi’s late Bruckner from Munich at its best, as in a sublime Sixth on EMI, before deciding which style is preferable.